A study presented at the Endocrine Society’s 93rd Annual Meeting identified that patients who undergo bariatric surgery are at greater risk of bone fracture than previously thought.

Kelly Nakamura was the lead author of the study. He is a Mayo Clinic College of Medicine medical student. The principal investigator was Kurt Kennel, MD, an assistant professor of medicine in the endocrinology division at Mayo.

The final analysis of the study which included 258 patients showed that patients who had bariatric surgery were 2.3 (rather than 1.8 previously found increased risk) times more at risk of fractures than the general population. All sites of the skeleton were found to be at increased risk, with the hands and feet about three times what would be expected.

The first fractures on average were about six years post surgery, with those who were more physically active prior to surgery at less (increased) risk than those who were more sedentary.

More research is needed as to why bariatric surgery impacts bone health, but those patients who experienced fractures did not necessarily develop osteoporosis. For more information please visit http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/227523.php.